Vermont

Forest expert advocates for more deer hunting, Brattleboro Reformer, Oct 31, 2017Deer may be cute but they’re also responsible for killing our forests. Lynn Levine, a forester contractor, didn’t want it to be true. “When they prance I can feel it,” said Levine, who is a dancer. But the deer have been attacking something even more precious to her — her forest.

When deer eat these new saplings they make the forest monocultural. Deers don’t like the taste of black birch so black birch become the dominant trees. If a disease was to strike the forest, all the trees would be wiped out, meaning that birds and other species wouldn’t have food or shelter. It also leaves room for invasive species to grow, such as Japanese barberry, buckthorn, multiflora rose and bittersweet. Invasive species start replacing food sources for birds, which can have a negative impact on their diets. Buckthorn, for instance, is believed to cause diarrhea in birds. Invasive species can also be bad for human health. With Japanese barberry, ticks are 12 times more likely to populate forests, which could lead to higher rates of Lyme disease.

Are we helpless?

"The native plants are tramped down, the bushes are gnawed, and my three-year-old grandson can't play in the back yard because of the deer droppings. If humans entered our property and exacted such a toll we would have legal recourse We're watching the curb appeal and property value decline at a time when our taxes are rising. We are without defense."
M. Holland, Ann Arbor resident